Our Seemingly Silly Semi-Illogical Four Day Whirlwind Trip

[Philadisney]

Wow. that was a beautiful description of the afternoon tea. almost as beautiful of that trifle. what i would not give for a trifle right now!!!

 

[tiggerwannabe]

That's my girl!!!!!

The trifle nearly klled me with my sugar issues. I only had a couple bites...but "innit" gooooood???

It's karma wrapped in kizmit dipped in Johnny Depp good.

See the table at the top left of your photo near the basket? That's the table I sat with a bunch of sweet DIS ladies, in a tiara and camoflage capris

UMama, you had me rollin!

Great again Kay!

I too want a Trifle!

You two remind me so much of hubby and me...

yes, that's a good thing~

 

[Suzflee]

The description ends with the phase: Perfect with decadent desserts and companions. Think about that. What are they saying? Decadent companions? Do they mean Lowell?

I already got this one

sorry to repost a pic, one of my pet peeves, but does anyone think that the beauty of the plates is totally lost on this brown, non-Victorian table?

The worst I can say of mine is that I read somewhere that one of the sandwiches contains a cucumber filling.

and I'm guessing the filling was like a spread or Mr. Salad Man might have returned...

Failing that, we do what I was reprimanded for by a complete stranger last Friday, which is to reach over to the other person’s plate and saw off or stab a bite of whatever looks good.

Can you clarify this? Were you reaching over to eat off the complete stranger's plate or was the complete stranger a nosey customer at another table?

I told him that as a teenager I had a group of friends who prided themselves on being able to say various names while burping. Short burps were “Bob.” Longer burps were “Ralph.”

Then you better not share this with him. We used to "rate" our burps based on different categories: Duration (a la Bob and Ralph), Tone, Volume, and Texture!

“I will have the trifle,” I announce decisively.

Yipee - my mommy makes a way decadent (to go with the decadent cousins, aunts and uncles) chocolate trifle every year for Christmas dessert. Think layers of brownies laced with kahlua, chocolate mousse and my fave, crushed heath bars topped with whipped cream.

I finally have the presence of mind to snap a picture of what’s left.

Of "what's left"? Holy camoly! That's a lot of trifle!

Another winner - thanks!

 

[Kay7979]

Thanks for all the great comments!

Well, I'm back and all caught up! Thank you for including me on your walk around the WL. Since I believe I was actually, in real life, AT the WL around the time you posted it, I am off the hook for pool hopping offences. I had a genuine room key with my name on it.

It was a little walk down my not so distant memory lane and I appreciate it.

The tea at the GF looks FABULOUS. As a food sharer and a trifle lover myself, I now wish we'd done this. Ah, something for next time. Loved catching up with your trip!

NMAmy: I hope you had a great time at the Lodge and didn’t have to deal with any pool-hopping, pre-enjoyed mug toting patrons, or worse, Insect-Head mind-scanning cashiers.

Try Afternoon Tea next time. It’s a nice break from other activities and it’s fun and relaxing. I had no trouble getting an ADR for November, but other times of the year may be harder to book, so plan far ahead.

Another excellent installment, Kay! Now I'm SO TEMPTED to do the tea at the GF. But what to do with dd7? Did you see any kids there?

MagicAddict2178: I don’t specifically recall seeing any kids when we were there, but I’m sure I’ve heard other people say they took their children, specifically their daughters. Your daughter would probably love to do something that seems so grown up. Go for it!”

Wow. that was a beautiful description of the afternoon tea. almost as beautiful as that trifle. what i would not give for a trifle right now!!!

Philadisney: I’m making myself hungry for one, too. I don’t think I've ever seen it on a menu around here, so I either need to learn how to make it myself, or go back for Afternoon Tea again.

UMama, you had me rollin!

Great again Kay!

I too want a Trifle!

You two remind me so much of hubby and me...

yes, that's a good thing~

tiggerwannabe: You’re right, UMA’s fashion statement of the tiara with camouflage capris is a bit avant garde. Especially for the Grand Floridian! I think I would like to see that in person. Thanks for reading and taking the time to post comments. I’m glad you’re still following my “story.”

Does anyone think that the beauty of the plates is totally lost on this brown, non-Victorian table?

Yes, I agree. A white table cloth would have looked nicer than granite, even though it seems a shame to cover granite.

and I'm guessing the filling was like a spread or Mr. Salad Man might have returned.

I am assuming it was diced or chopped. You don’t really think I actually looked at it, do you? Yuck! I tried not to think about what I was eating. Actually, it didn’t taste bad. There was lettuce etc. on the sandwich to mask the flavor.

Can you clarify this? Were you reaching over to eat off the complete stranger's plate or was the complete stranger a nosey customer at another table?

No matter how many times I go over my episodes before I post them, I always miss something. I noticed this syntax error after hitting the submit button, but I was hoping no one else would. That’s another two points for you on this episode! In a previous response to reader comments, I think to oybolshoi, I discussed what happened in more detail and it was clear that the strangers were walking by our table as I sawed off a hunk of Lowell’s veal parmesan. Just to set the record straight, I haven’t sunk so far as to steal food from neighboring tables!

Then you better not share this with him. We used to "rate" our burps based on different categories: Duration (a la Bob and Ralph), Tone, Volume, and Texture!

Ssssssshhhhhh! I won’t tell Lowell, but you may be giving other readers bad ideas. I’ve already done enough damage.

Of "what's left"? Holy camoly! That's a lot of trifle!

It seriously was! As I said, the woman next to me messed up big time by settling for a couple scrawny pastries. I bet we already ate half the trifle when I took that picture. It was phenomenal. I only had one other dessert that could compete with it in size, but that tale comes up in another episode.

Your mom’s chocolate trifle sounds awesome. The only thing better than trifle has to be chocolate trifle!

 

[Suzflee]

Kay,
Are you PM'able? I'll share Mom's recipe with you. Hardest part about it is crumbling up the brownies after they've been soaked in the Kahlua - very hard not to lick your fingers while doing it!

 

[tiggerwannabe]

I have those exact plates!

I actually have the whole tea set but won't take them out of the pantry for fear of someone breaking them on me.

 

[daly7o9]

I was just reading your description of your tea and beginning to feel a little hungry. Then I saw the picture of the trifle and my stomach said "Arrgh! I wants me some o that!"

 

[fitzkerry]

Kay, you don't know me but we've spent the last 8 hours together! I had to read the whole thread...no work was done today, and my customers think I drink at work because they kept walking in on me laughing like mad alone at my desk. I'll be in Disney in May and will be making a special trip to the lodge to visit the places you've made so vivid. Thanks for sharing your gift with us!

 

[Liz]

Oh Kay, you are fabulous! I really need to learn to restrain myself and not read your TR at work! Its painful to hold in the laughter and too hard to explain when I can't!!

There was so much to love and I don't know how to do multiple quotes but I loved the line about duck companions going missing at the lodge and the whole part about the country pate!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day and your evening at the HDDR! No serious manners required there! Just lots of fun and silliness!!

 

[TiggerandTink]

PART TWENTY EIGHT:
I would not recommend standing up and singing “I’m a Little Teapot,” however appropriate the subject matter might seem for the occasion, but short of that, a small lapse of manners is not a problem.

Oh my, but this would have made a great picture and a wonderful story. I wonder how the other proper patrons would have reacted?

It’s every bit as good as it looks, and when Lowell sees the rapture on my face, there’s no holding him back. He sweeps everything on the table aside, yanks my dish toward him, and we both fall upon the dish with spoons flying, no doubt grunting and slurping like two hogs over a trough. I don’t know or care if people watch. I’m too intent on getting my share. After all, this is MY dessert. I would stop eating long enough to point this out, but that would require precious seconds better spent devouring trifle. Fortunately, Lowell must have read my mind, because in a moment he withdraws from the contest and sits back in his chair. The rest of the trifle is MINE!

Now that sounds like great dessert, and wonderful imagery!

 

[2ScottishPrincesses]

PART TWENTY EIGHT:




All my sandwiches taste good. They’re so small that sharing will be difficult. I continue to struggle with the food-swapping issue. Some methods are more acceptable than others, but as I noted while replying to reader comments, Lowell and I don’t always employ the most dignified methods. Most people would probably transfer a piece of food to the recipient’s plate. The problem is, usually our plates are so full there’s no place to set the sample down without getting other foods all over it. Now and then a bread plate is available but, more often than not, the bread plate is covered with cucumbers picked off our salads or some other offensive meal debris. Consequently, we resort to the “open the hanger, here comes the plane” method of serving a forkful of food across the table. Failing that, we do what I was reprimanded for by a complete stranger last Friday, which is to reach over to the other person’s plate and saw off or stab a bite of whatever looks good.

Kay, these non food sharing types need to chill out a bit. In our family food sharing is a part of life and my kids are being brought up in the faith, heaven knows how that etiquette obsesed stranger would react to Big D's (DH) normal cry of "if your not finishing that sling it over here girl" and he doesn't care what type of restaurant he's in or how snooty the waiting staff. Hey he's paying the bill so as long as he's not behaving in an offensive manner c'est la vie.

 

[Kay7979]

Hi, everyone!

I have those exact plates!

I actually have the whole tea set but won't take them out of the pantry for fear of someone breaking them on me.

tiggerwannabe: Live dangerously. You can’t enjoy them if you never use them. Call me when the tea and trifle are ready. I’ll be right over.

I was just reading your description of your tea and beginning to feel a little hungry. Then I saw the picture of the trifle and my stomach said "Arrgh! I wants me some o that!"

daly7o9: Now if only someone could throw a little pixie dust over the trifle and remove all the calories.

Kay, you don't know me but we've spent the last 8 hours together! I had to read the whole thread...no work was done today, and my customers think I drink at work because they kept walking in on me laughing like mad alone at my desk. I'll be in Disney in May and will be making a special trip to the lodge to visit the places you've made so vivid. Thanks for sharing your gift with us!

fitzkerry: Great! A new reader. I hope I didn’t get you in trouble for loafing when you should be working, but it’s nice to know you enjoyed my trip story. Welcome aboard and I hope to hear from you again.

Oh Kay, you are fabulous! I really need to learn to restrain myself and not read your TR at work! Its painful to hold in the laughter and too hard to explain when I can't!!

There was so much to love and I don't know how to do multiple quotes but I loved the line about duck companions going missing at the lodge and the whole part about the country pate!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day and your evening at the HDDR! No serious manners required there! Just lots of fun and silliness!!

Liz: It’s always nice to hear from you. You’re such a faithful reader. I’m working on the next episode now and it will have lots more photos and hopefully a chuckle or two.

Now for Kay’s simple multi-quote lesson. Backstage_Gal is multi-quote challenged, too, so it happens to the best of us! Here is the method I find easiest. Copy the start quote block and paste it. Copy the end quote block and paste it. (Leave a few spaces between them.) Now highlight the entire line you just created and copy that. Paste it as many times as you have text you want to highlight. Finally, go get the parts of the post you want to quote and insert that text between the brackets. Using your post for example:

(QUOTE=Liz;17897164] paste text here [/QUOTE)

(QUOTE=Liz;17897164] paste text here [/QUOTE)

(QUOTE=Liz;17897164] paste text here [/QUOTE)

Use the square bracket, not my parenthesis, at the beginning and end. I had to use a different symbol than the bracket or it would convert my example into an actual quote.
That’s it!

Oh my, but this would have made a great picture and a wonderful story. I wonder how the other proper patrons would have reacted?

Now that sounds like great dessert, and wonderful imagery!

TiggerandTink. I am both brave and silly, but not quite enough to sing “I’m a little teapot,” at Afternoon Tea. Not even for the amusement of my readership. Probably Security would cart me away! Actually, they do sing that and other songs at Whispering Canyon Café. You could get away with it there, although in my opinion it would be more appropriate at Whispering Canyon to sing, “I’m a little jerky.” Pork, of course.

Kay, these non food sharing types need to chill out a bit. In our family food sharing is a part of life and my kids are being brought up in the faith, heaven knows how that etiquette obsessed stranger would react to Big D's (DH) normal cry of "if your not finishing that sling it over here girl" and he doesn't care what type of restaurant he's in or how snooty the waiting staff. Hey he's paying the bill so as long as he's not behaving in an offensive manner c'est la vie.

2ScottishPrincesses. I’m not sure if the lady that commented about me sawing a piece off Lowell’s veal parmesan was kidding or serious. Probably kidding. I hope! Eating someone else’s food is more acceptable when you have kids, I think, since kids are notorious for eating only half their meals, so parents tend to “help” rather than waste the food.

 

[tiggerwannabe]

tiggerwannabe: Live dangerously. You can’t enjoy them if you never use them. Call me when the tea and trifle are ready. I’ll be right over.

The dishes were all bought by DH's Grandmother~

You are so right tho! We should use them...but first...

I'd need someone to PM me with the directions on how to make a trifle~

and then I'll holler at'cha to come down and join me!

 

[Kay7979]

The dishes were all bought by DH's Grandmother~

You are so right tho! We should use them...but first...

I'd need someone to PM me with the directions on how to make a trifle~

and then I'll holler at'cha to come down and join me!

I Googled "English Trifle" and found a LOT of variations, using all kinds of fruit. There were other variations made with chocolate. Suzflee PM'd me her family recipe with chololate and Heath bars. I can forward it along if you want a chocolate version.

 

[Suzflee]

Here is the method I find easiest. Copy the start quote block and paste it. Copy the end quote block and paste it. (Leave a few spaces between them.) Now highlight the entire line you just created and copy that. Paste it as many times as you have text you want to highlight. Finally, go get the parts of the post you want to quote and insert that text between the brackets.

so that's how you do it? I just click on "quote" and get the whole post in my reply and then delete the parts I don't want, copying and pasting the beginning quote thingy and ending quote thingy where needed.

This method would probably work better for you, Zzub and the Fixer where there are so many parts to quote!

You've got me thinking about trifle so much I just might offer to make it and take to the sis-in-laws for Easter

 

[mikamah]

Kay, I have been slacking and just read your last 3 installments. The Ghetto was a riot, as was your high heels. Too funny. Tea was wonderful. Your manners were just fine in my book. Noone throwing themself on the floor in a tantrum always sounds good to me. The trifle looks to die for. I'm making a trifle for easter, and can't wait for it now. I always make a little bowl for me while preparing.
I've always wanted to do hoop de doo, and can't wait for your review. thanks.

 

[oybolshoi]

Hi Kay!

Loved your review of afternoon tea, but I must say that Lowell's selection makes my intestinal tract cringe. I'll stick with the tea sandwiches and scones...pinky elevating of its own accord while I type.

I guess I'll have to give the trifle another try - when we were there in October it wasn't very good. Prior to that it was da bomb! It sounds like you received the yummy version! I have considered making trife at home but then I looked at the recipe and decided that it requires too much work - I'm going to let this one remain a vacation dessert!

Another great installment - thanks for sharing.

 

[Kay7979]

PART TWENTY NINE:




I’m surprised no one calls Security to usher us out of the Garden View lounge, but apparently my custard and whipped cream trick went unnoticed by anyone but Lowell. Whew. I should be ashamed of myself. Thor and Vidar are better behaved. At their worst they might be expected to seize the pastry tray and empty it into their helmets, then pinch the waitress on their way out.

The couple by the window gets up a few minutes before we do. The woman casts a longing glance at my trifle dish on her way by. I’d offer to let her lick it clean, but Lowell already beat her to it.

Just kidding.

As far as you know.

Lowell and I need to walk off a few calories, so after Tea we make a tour of the Grand Floridian’s picturesque grounds, taking pictures along the way. It’s lovely and elegant but it’s “just not me.” Besides, I’ve read too many Victorian novels and etiquette books, and I’d probably find myself role-playing an upper class woman of the era. Lowell would need to sit by himself at the pool. A lady did NOT want freckles. Freckles were as despised as zits, and only lower class working women got a tan. Back then, nobody tried to get a tan. A lady wanted soft white skin, particularly her face and hands. I could try a soft hands tip from one of my books and sleep with my hands in cotton bags filled with wet oatmeal. I know Lowell would really love that. Waking up with a handful of oatmeal gives new meaning to the marketing concept of “Oatmeal to Go.”

It’s time to head back to the Lodge. We ride the monorail to the Magic Kingdom, then transfer to the green flag boat. The weather is still picture perfect with warm breezes, blue sky and even bluer water. On our way to the lodge we pass the Ferry boats. It’s nice seeing them from this vantage point. I love this ride when we’re in no hurry to get to a park or a dinner reservation.

We have a free afternoon to soak up some sun with nothing on our agenda until Hoop-De-Doo Revue. The only time pressure built into our schedule today is my hope of getting out of HDDR in time to catch the Electric Water Parade, either on the beach at Fort Wilderness, or at the Lodge. While the EWP is not a major attraction, it’s something I have always wanted to see at least once, and since the parade can only be viewed from the resorts near the Magic Kingdom, this trip is the ideal opportunity. Unfortunately, we leave tomorrow afternoon, so tonight is our last chance.

When we return to our room, Mousekeeping has finished cleaning and everything looks neat and orderly. We change into swimsuits and grab our mugs before heading to the pool. I dread passing the Insect-Head cashier again, but the mug is an investment and we don’t want to be bad investors, so we need a few more refills before we leave.

We find a couple unoccupied lounges in the shade, which is fine with Lowell. He could get a tan at night walking past a car with its headlights on. I need to be in the sun. Today he doesn’t feel like swimming. He just wants to relax with his book so I’m on my own. I really want to check out the waterslide, but I don’t see any adults using it.

During our last Disney vacation we stayed at Old Key West. Their main pool was fenced off while they completed a new waterslide which had been scheduled to open a few days before our arrival. Of course nothing ever goes according to schedule. The day we arrived, the woman who checked us in said the pool and slide would reopen in a couple days. Each time we inquired, the date moved back another day or two. To make up for having no large pool or a slide available, the resort offered bus service to the new DVC resort, Saratoga Springs. We took advantage of that offer one day and spent part of the afternoon there. Lowell and I were delighted to see a few adults using the waterslide. We wasted no time trying it ourselves. It proved to be longer, faster, and more exciting than I expected. I went down two or three times, and Lowell at least half a dozen. Still, that didn’t take the place of trying the new slide at Old Key West, which had been designed to look like a giant sand castle, and frankly, looked pretty cool. But, as luck would have it, the pool opened on the morning of our departure day and since we only had a half day, and our agenda was full, there was no time to try it.

I entrust my mug and sun tan lotion to Lowell, then head with grim determination toward the pool. I will not be thwarted this time as I was with the sand castle slide. I will try this slide, even if I have to wait in line behind a bunch of ten year olds. Even if there really is a hidden waterslide camera and Cast Members post my picture and laugh at me. I may be over fifty but I still like waterslides. So sue me. I will probably be that elderly person I described in my pool-hopper spoof that shuffles along with a walker to the top of the waterslide and wants to go down it.

Head first.

Backwards.

Ten times.

Maybe they can develop a waterslide “ski lift” so elderly sliders don’t need to walk to the top every time. That would also eliminate the problem of abandoning our walkers at the top, or worse, people trying to take them along on the slide and getting them jammed in the tunnel. One of those three prong canes might work reasonably well in lieu of a walker. They’re small enough to fit through the slide and could do double duty as a flotation noodle after splash down.

I swim for a while, trying to work up my nerve. It would be nice if Lowell came with me. It’s such a comfort to look dumb when someone looks dumb with you. I remind myself sternly that silly people have more fun. We tell Lowell’s kids to be silly, have a good time, and not to worry about what other people think of them. Kids are so wrapped up in their image. Not only do they hate to do anything that calls attention to themselves, but they live in mortal dread that you’ll do something to embarrass them. By the way, when shopping with teenagers, never lapse into disco dancing while in a department store that’s playing retro tunes. Just a little friendly advice. Not that I would know firsthand about that. Ahem. On that happy note, let me present Sage Advice # 1: “Who cares if someone looks at you funny. In a minute they’ll forget all about you.” This was good advice until the advent of the digital camera; now I’m not so sure. With my luck, someone’s vacation pictures will immortalize me in some ridiculous pose. Then I’ll have to fall back on Sage Advice # 2: “Don’t worry, no one knows you here.”

It takes the combined impact of Sage Advice 1 and 2 to motivate me to climb out of the pool and head for the landing at the top of the slide. I see a few boys waiting in line. I figure if any adults see me talking to the boys they’ll assume one of them is my son and I’m just supervising and being a good mom.

By the time I reach the top only three boys are left. I half expect them to give me a “Hey, what are you doing here?” look, but they don’t bat an eye. Instantly I feel more at ease. We chat about the water temperature and how neat the slide is while I watch for the current slider to reach the bottom and splash into the pool.

“Okay, you’re clear for launch,” I tell the next boy. The kids accept my role as waterslide traffic cop without question. In a couple minutes the slide is clear and I wave for the next boy to go. By the time the last one enters the slide the gang starts arriving for their next round. I figure I’ve done enough slide duty so I get into position next and push off.

Most of the ride goes through a dark twisting tunnel and I’m going too fast to spot the hidden camera. But I know it’s there. In the Lodge office a monitor flashes a picture of a fifty year old woman with her eyes shut and her mouth open. If they have sound they hear “Woo Hoo!” echoing through the tunnel followed by a splash.

I could happily slide another twenty-two times, but I content myself with trying it only once. After that I paddle around the deep end for awhile, then float on my back, staring up at the clouds. It seems we have been here for days. Tonight we’ll try something new. I’ve read reviews of Hoop-De-Doo Revue and people rave about it. A few people said they see the show every time they come here. Can it be that great?

I’m looking forward to tomorrow morning and Tonga Toast just as much. I love the whole ritual of our breakfast trip to the Poly. We enjoy walking into the lobby and looking at the tropical plants and the waterfall, browsing through the Hawaiian themed gift shops, and walking the winding paths through the Poly’s picturesque grounds. Tonga Toast, however, is central to the entire experience and is a memorable part of every trip.

As I get out of the water to rejoin Lowell, the geyser goes off. It’s fun to watch, and I love seeing people’s expressions, especially kids, so I join the crowd.

After that I return to my chair and find Lowell just as I left him. He’s buried in his book but looks up briefly.

“I went down the waterslide,” I announce.

“Yes, I saw you standing up there.”

“I would have waved and yelled ‘Hey, watch this!’ but I knew you couldn’t see me very well from here.”

He cracks a smile and asks, “How was the slide?”

“Good. Similar to the one at Saratoga Springs.”

I settle into my chair and reach for my own book, thumbing through to find my place. Unfortunately my mind keeps wandering from the story. I haven’t forgotten my pool hopper research. If I stay sharp, I may find evidence to support some people’s belief that pool hopping is a common practice. I scan my neighbors, trying to imagine which, if any, are intruders. No clue I can think of is 100% conclusive, such as people who don’t fit my mental image as people who can afford to stay here, people who brought a change of clothes in a bag, people with a mug from a different resort, people who act like they don’t know their way around. Unless someone openly admits to being a pool hopper, and who would be dumb enough to do that, I may never know for sure. Still, speculating is an interesting pastime. I see a couple people with bulging duffle bags that may hold extra towels and clothes, but it’s possible they have already checked out of the hotel and are waiting poolside until it’s time to catch their flight. After all, we’ll be doing the same thing tomorrow afternoon. After ten or fifteen minutes of playing this game I give up and go back to reading.

The sun moves enough that my chair is finally out of the shade. I toss the book aside and enjoy the heat while looking out over Bay Lake’s calm water. The toot of an approaching boat rises above the background noise of happy children in the pool and soft western music. This is what we work for all year; moments like these when time slows and every sense is heightened with the enjoyment of being in a wonderful place with no worries or cares. Lowell makes a couple more trips to refill our $11.99 Investment and we pass a couple hours in a contented haze of sunshine and warm breezes.

Eventually it’s time to tear ourselves away and get ready for the zany Wild West shenanigans at Hoop-De-Doo. We change clothes quickly and this time I spurn shoes with heels and black dress pants in favor of jeans and a Disney sweatshirt. The air will be cool when we get out of the show at 9:00.

Lowell will fit in with the 1800s theme since he’s wearing the glasses he wore for Civil War reenacting. His “real” glasses had gotten too strong as he became slightly far-sighted, and the gold wire rim glasses which had been a bit weak years ago now were just the right prescription. He has been wearing them for a few months, much to his mother’s dismay. Despite being in her 60s she’s still the fashion maven she was in her youth. Personally, I think the glasses are cute. But fashion maven I am not. Properly attired, we’re off to catch the boat to Fort Wilderness.

We have allowed ourselves plenty of time to get to the show, which is a good thing, because when we reach the dock the captain has replaced the rope barrier, secured the boat, and is ready to shove off. A few other tardy passengers, who perhaps have not allowed extra time, or simply hate waiting, dash down the dock ahead of us, shouting to be let on board. I laugh at their naivety. We’ve only been at the Lodge a couple days, and already I already know that once you hear the boat toot to announce that it’s leaving, you’re already too late, so don’t bother running. When the rope barrier blocks the end of the dock, it means the captain is not getting out of the boat to let anyone else onboard. The family’s shouts of “Hey, wait!” are greeted with silence. And when they shout again, “Can we get on board?” They get the same reply as before.

While it should be obvious that the boat is ready to leave, and no one else will be allowed on, the captain could dignify them with an answer or at least shake his head. Apparently, however, the family is invisible as well as inaudible. Oddly, we can see and hear them only too well. The invisible mother becomes increasingly irate. She waves frantically at the captain, strides to the end of the dock, and shouts angrily, “Hey! Can we come on board?”

The motor revs and the boat moves away from the dock. I half expect her to make a running leap like they do in the movies, bridging the ever widening gap between the dock and the boat, then wrestle the steering wheel from the captain’s grasp. It would make a great show, but alas, she settles for screaming over the motor, “You could at least say no!”

By this time her aggravation rubs off on the rest of the invisible, inaudible family, and all three kids jump furiously up and down while shouting as loudly as possible at the departing boat, “We hate you! We hate you!”

The dad, who truly has been invisible throughout this mini-drama, clamps a hand on the two closest children and says, “Stop it,” in a perilously stern voice. All jumping and shouting cease. Instantly. The woman turns to look at her husband. Several expressions flash across her face, chief of which is embarrassment at losing her temper in front of the children. They are like little mirrors catching and reflecting her anger, and she doesn’t like the image she sees in those mirrors. Anger drains out of her. She gives a short laugh and says weakly, “Well, he could have at least answered me.”

Now, with time on their hands, the kids amuse themselves by climbing on the bench seats and attempting to use the divider wall between the benches as a rock climbing wall. Whether intentionally or by poor design I can’t say, but the wall has square openings that look like gun portals, which make ideal hand and foot holds. But they’re a death trap. If you lose your footing you land on the wooden bench or the concrete platform, either of which is a ticket to the emergency room. Other people show up to wait for the boat and their children are immediately lured to the wall of death. I can’t bear to watch. Mercifully the boat arrives before any lives are lost.

And so at last we are on our way to Pioneer Hall.

We are none too early by the time we walk up from the lake. A Cast Member recognizes us as newcomers and approaches us. We need to check in. He examines our reservation and confirms that we will be at table 21. I wonder if having a low number means we’ll be in a good spot near the stage. Next, we are herded toward a photo-taking station where these poor deluded souls hope to take our picture and sell it to us at an inflated price at the end of the show.

I can hear your peals of laughter. Yes, you know us pretty well by now.

It’s not just that we’re cheap. We travel a lot. If we bought photos everywhere we went from Hawaii to Puerto Vallarta to Key West and Grand Cayman Island, we’d have enough photos to paper the walls of a small room. And no offense to Disney, but Hoop-De-Doo Revue would not rate near the top of the exciting photo list. Despite the utter pointlessness, we humor these people and pose for our photo, but I know we’re wearing expressions like someone just served us pork jerky with cucumbers.

After they take our picture . . . we smile.

Another Cast Member guides us to the door that will be nearest our table. Soon the doors open and the crowd presses forward. Inside, people direct everyone to their assigned tables and we find ours, table 21, slightly left of center and one back from the stage. We have a great unobstructed view for taking pictures.

Once again good luck favors us, adding to our false sense of security that nothing can go wrong during this trip and tarnish our happiness.


TO BE CONTINUED. . . .

 

[Suzflee]

Kay - those are amaaaaaaazing pictures!

Maybe they should start having "adult slide" time like they do in the community pools when only adults are allowed to swim. Perhaps more of us older whipper snappers would be lured out of our chairs. I'd be up there with you but I would have talked you into going more than once.

"false sense of security" - Oh no....what could possibly happen to dear sweet Kay and Lowell?

 

[2ScottishPrincesses]

[B
The sun moves enough that my chair is finally out of the shade. I toss the book aside and enjoy the heat while looking out over Bay Lake’s calm water. The toot of an approaching boat rises above the background noise of happy children in the pool and soft western music. This is what we work for all year; moments like these when time slows and every sense is heightened with the enjoyment of being in a wonderful place with no worries or cares. Lowell makes a couple more trips to refill our $11.99 Investment and we pass a couple hours in a contented haze of sunshine and warm breezes.

.

I've just shut my eyes, enjoyed the sun streaming through the window onto my computer and I was actually there with you....THANK YOU!!!